Loading unit for air freight

ABSTRACT

A loading unit for air freight comprises a loading base ( 1 ), four upright walls ( 3, 4, 5, 25, 26 ) on the loading base ( 1 ) and a covet ( 2 ) on the upright walls, the walls being detachably joined to the loading, base ( 1 ) and the cover ( 2 ). The loading base ( 1 ) and the cover ( 2 ) have slots ( 1 ) on their periphery in which the walls can be accommodated. The loading base ( 1 ) and the cover ( 2 ) also have upright edges ( 9, 10, 14, 15 ) which can be placed directly one on top of the other.

[0001] The invention relates to the field of air freight, in particularto the freight units to be used in this sector. Goods for air freightare usually tendered as individual packages. On the other hand, it isnecessary to pack the freight together to form larger units, which itmust be possible to handle efficiently using fork lift trucks and thelike.

[0002] Pallets which provide room for a number of freight packages arealready used in this context. The freight packages are stacked on thepallet as regularly as possible, after which the stack is covered by anet which is attached firmly to the edges of the pallet.

[0003] Although the use of these pallets already results in a certaingain in loading time and ease of use, there are nevertheless stillvarious disadvantages associated with this. For instance, it is notreadily possible, for example, to stack two laden pallets on top of oneanother. Furthermore, the freight packages are not well or adequatelyprotected against the effects of weather, which is a disadvantage whenloading or unloading an aircraft in the open air.

[0004] Up to now, however, this method of loading has been accepted, ifonly because the weight of the loading aids, such as pallet and net, isnot too high. Furthermore, the unloaded loading aids must not take up anunnecessarily large amount of space for transport. However, theabovementioned problems, such as the lack of stackability, are becomingincreasingly pressing.

[0005] The aim of the invention is, therefore, to provide a better andmore efficient aid for air freight which, on the one hand, offers betterprotection for the air freight packages and which, on the other hand,does not weigh too much or take up too much space. To this end theinvention relates to a loading unit for air freight, comprising aloading base, upright walls on the loading base and a flat cover on theupright walls, which walls are detachably joined to the loading base andthe cover and at least two walls being joined to one another to form atleast one self-supporting wall unit.

[0006] The detachable walls have the advantage that the empty loadingunit can be transported as a small pack. To this end the loading basepreferably has slots, in which the walls can be accommodated, around atleast part of its periphery. The cover also has slots, in which thewalls can be accommodated, around at least part of its periphery.

[0007] The loading base and/or the cover have upright edges which can beplaced directly one on top of the other. The edges are of a height suchthat the detached walls can be accommodated between base and coverpositioned one on top of the other.

[0008] The walls can be joined to one another to ensure good coherenceof the walls and thus a sufficiently high strength of the loading uniton stacking. These joins provide a self-supporting wall unit, which wallunit can comprise all four walls. Such a wall unit has adequate loadbearing capacity to be able to support a further stacked loading unitwithout corner columns being required for this purpose. The advantage ofthe loading unit according to the invention is therefore that the numberof component parts remains limited. A block-shaped or cube-shapedloading unit can consist of a maximum of six separate parts, that is tosay the loading base, the cover and at most four separate walls. Thefour walls can, however, form an integral unit, as a result of whichthere would be only three separate parts.

[0009] The consequence of this is that the loading unit can be assembledor dismantled quickly and easily. The possibility of parts becoming lostis also virtually precluded. After all, the loading unit has no(relatively small) fixings and consequently is immediately ready forassembly.

[0010] To reduce the size of the loading unit when it is transportedempty, two opposing walls can be divided over their height into two wallsections which can be turned relative to one another, which walls can befolded up after they have been removed from the loading base and cover,such that the wall sections come to lie between, under or on the othertwo walls.

[0011] By virtue of the two foldable walls divided into wall sections,the whole can be folded up into a fairly small pack which fits easilybetween the loading base and cover placed one on top of the other.

[0012] The walls can be made of a wide variety of materials which havethe requisite mechanical properties; thus, for example, cardboard can beused. In addition, walls can be joined two by two and closed all roundto form a self-supporting wall unit closed on all sides.

[0013] Cardboard, in particular corrugated cardboard of the appropriatethickness, offers the advantage of a low weight in combination withexcellent strength, including the ability to withstand stacking forces.Moreover, the cardboard can have been treated such that it can beexposed to fluctuating weather effects without any problems.

[0014] An embodiment in which each wall has integral joining parts onits upright edges, by means of which integral joining parts the wallsare joined together two by two, is also possible.

[0015] The walls can all be dismantled into separate parts. On the otherhand, they can be joined to one another firmly in such a way that one ormore self-supporting units are formed which provide a non-bucklingsupport. The walls themselves are exposed to compressive forces overtheir entire cross-section as a result of which firm support is ensured.The non-buckling stability of the walls can be appreciable by virtue ofthe distributed load.

[0016] Each integral joining part can be a shaped section permanentlyfixed at the edge of a wall. The joining parts can, for example, havehook elements, which hook elements can be slid into one another in thedirection of the edges of the walls.

[0017] The transverse dimensions of said shaped section components canbe very small since these components have to play no part in supportingany loading unit stacked on top.

[0018] Each shaped section can have an undercut cavity into which a hookcomponent of an adjacent shaped section can be slid.

[0019] Furthermore one shaped section of each two shaped sections joinedto one another can be constructed with an undercut cavity at the end ofthe associated wall and the other shaped section With an undercut cavityat the face of the other associated wall, which face faces the end ofthe first well.

[0020] In the case of relatively high loading units, the walls can besubdivided in the height direction into wall sections located above oneanother and every two of said wall sections located above one anothercan be linked by an n-shaped section. The advantage of this embodimentis that the walls can be reduced to one or more small pac, which onceagain can be accommodated between the loading base ad cover placed oneon top of the other.

[0021] The loading base can have supports on its underside, betweenwhich supports the, forks of a fork lift truck can be accommodated.

[0022] To guarantee interchangeability with the known pallets in use todate, the loading unit according to the invention has a loading basewhich has external dimensions of 1.02×1.22 m. Because cardboard wallsare used, the internal dimensions can be 1.00×1.20 m. The total externalheight of the loading unit, including supports, can be 0.75 or 1.50 m.When folded up, the loading unit can have a height of {fraction (1/7)}of the total 150 m.

[0023] An illustrative embodiment of the loading unit according to theinvention will now be explained in more detail with reference to thedrawings.

[0024]FIG. 1 shows a perspective and partially exposed view of a loadingunit according to the invention.

[0025]FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross-section through the loading unit.

[0026]FIG. 3 shows the loading unit in the form in which it is reducedto a pack.

[0027]FIGS. 4a, b show a cross-section of a wall.

[0028]FIG. 5 shows an example of the use of various loading units in thecargo hold beneath the deck of an aircraft.

[0029]FIG. 6 shows an example of the use of various loading unitsaccording to the invention in the cargo area above the deck of anaircraft.

[0030]FIG. 7 shows a cross-section through the walls of a furtherembodiment of the loading unit.

[0031]FIG. 8 shows detail VIII from FIG. 7.

[0032]FIG. 9 shows the loading unit according to FIGS. 7 and 8 in theform in which it has bean reduced to a pack.

[0033] The loading unit shown in FIG. 1 has a loading base 1, a cover 2and four walls, which are indicated in their entirety by 3.

[0034] Each wall consists of a lower wall section 4 and an upper wellsection 5, linked together by an H-shaped section 6.

[0035] As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2, the loading base 1consists of a baseplate 7, which is provided, by means of rivets 8, withshaped sections 9, 10 which form upright edges. The ends of the uprightshaped sections 9, 10 form peripheral slots 11, in which the respectivewall sections 4 can be accommodated.

[0036] In addition, supports 12 are fixed to the loading base 1 by meansof rivets 41.

[0037] Correspondingly, the cover consists of a cover plate 13, which isprovided at the edges with edge shaped sections 14, 15 which form theupright edge of the cover. At their ends, said edge shaped sections 14,15 form a slot 16, in which the respective wall sections 5 areaccommodated.

[0038] The edge shaped section 14 has an end region 17 which is extendedoutwards and, as can be seen in FIG. 3, engages over the edge shapedsection 9 of the loading base 1 when the cover 2 is placed directly onthe loading base 1.

[0039] After they have been removed from the slots 11, 16 and from theH-section 6, the wall sections 4 and 5, respectively, can be folded upin the manner shown in FIG. 4a. Two of the opposing wall sections 4, 5can be divided by means of a fold line 18 into two wall sections 19 suchthat they can be folded to form a small pack. To this end the wallsections 19 are joined via fold lines 20 with the other two wallsections 4, 5.

[0040] In the cross-section shown in FIG. 3 it can be seen that thepacks 21 (comprising wall sections 4) and 22 (comprising wall sections5) can be accommodated within loading base and cover.

[0041] Preferably, the wall sections 4 are lower than the wall sections5. The advantage of this will be explained with reference to the useshown in FIG. 5. The loading unit according to the invention can beplaced at its maximum height in the cargo hold beneath the floor of anaircraft. As an alternative, smaller loading units, each with wallsections 4, can be placed one on top of the other two by two. By virtueof the fact that the wall section 4 are somewhat lower than the wallsections 5, a stack of two smaller loading units will still fit withinsaid hold, despite the fact that there is an extra set of supports 12for the upper loading unit.

[0042] A further example of use is shown in FIG. 6, where part of thespace above the deck of an aircraft is now utilised as cargo area. Theloading units with wall sections 4 are likewise used in thisillustrative embodiment, in this case in the vicinity of the lower partsof the cargo area. If the height of the cargo area at the sides permits,it is, of course, possible to use a loading unit which has the higherwall sections 5 in this location as well.

[0043] As a variation from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the wallsections 4, 5 can be separated at the fold line 18 which is shown inFIG. 4. In this way walls 4, 5 are obtained which each consist of twoseparate halves,, each consisting of a complete wall section 4 or 5,with a half wall section 4 or 5 on either side (see FIG. 4b) . Togetherthese halves again form a complete rectangle or square.

[0044] The horizontal cross-section shown in FIG. 7 shows the walls 25,25 of the loading unit. Said walls 25, 26 are detachably joined to oneanother by the respective shaped sections 27, 28 at the two verticaledges of the walls 25, 26.

[0045] The shaped sections 27 and 28 do not have a supporting function,that is to say they play no role in transmitting vertical loads, forexample as produced by a stacked loading unit.

[0046] The reason for this is that the cross-sectional dimensions of theshaped sections 27, 28 are so small that such a load is transmittedmainly by the walls 25, 26 themselves.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 8, the shaped sections 27, 28 each consist of aU-shaped section 29, 30 in which the side edge of the associated walls25, 26 is permanently fixed. Said permanent fixing can be provided, forexample, by means of rivets, gluing, welding and the like.

[0048] The shaped section 27 has a flange 31 and a hook 32, whichtogether form an undercut cavity 33.

[0049] Shaped section 28 likewise has a flange 34 and hook 35, whichdefine the undercut cavity 36.

[0050] The walls 25, 26 can be joined to one another by sliding each ofthe hooks 32, 35 into the undercut cavity 33, 36 of the other shapedsection, in the longitudinal direction of said shaped sections.

[0051] In the position in which they have been slid into one another,the shaped sections 27, 28 provide a firm fixing between the two walls25, 26.

[0052] There are corresponding shaped sections at the other corners.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 9, when stacked on top of one another the walls25, 26 can be accommodated within the loading base 1 and the cover 2. Inthe example shown in FIG. 9, a total of four walls 25 and four walls 26are accommodated, sufficient to form a relatively high loading unit withwalls divided in the height direction, analogous to the embodiment inFIG. 1.

1. Loading unit for air freight, comprising a loading base (1), uprightwalls (3, 4, 5, 25, 26) on the loading base (1) and a flat cover (2) onthe upright walls (3, 4, 5, 25, 26), which walls (3, 4, 5, 25, 26) aredetachably joined to the loading base (1) and the cover (2) and at leasttwo walls being joined to one another to form at least oneself-supporting wall unit (36).
 2. Loading unit according to claim 1,wherein the loading base (1) has slots (11), in which the walls (4) canbe accommodated, around at least part of its periphery.
 3. Loading unitaccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover (2) has slots (16), inwhich the walls (5) can be accommodated, around at least part of itsperiphery.
 4. Loading unit according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein loadingbase (1) and cover (2) have upright edges (9, 10; 14, 15) which arelocated directly opposite one-another, such that said edges can beplaced one on top of the other after removing said walls.
 5. Loadingunit according to claim 4, wherein the edges (9, 10; 14, 15) have aheight such that the detached walls (3, 4, 5) can be accommodatedbetween loading base (1) and cover (2) placed one on top of the other.6. Loading unit according to one of the preceding claims, wherein thewalls (3, 4, 5) are joined to one another such that they can be turned,and two opposing walls are divided over their height into two wallsections (19) which can be turned relative to one another, which walls(3, 4, 5) can be folded up after they have been removed from the loadingbase (1) and cover (2), such that the wall sections (19) come to liebetween the other two walls (3, 4, 5).
 7. Loading unit according toclaim 6, wherein the walls (3, 4, 5) are made of cardboard.
 8. Loadingunit according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the walls (4, 5) are joined twoby two and are closed all round to form a self-supporting wall unit. 9.Loading unit according to one of claims 1-5, wherein each wall (25, 26)has integral joining parts (27, 28) on its upright edges, by beans ofwhich integral joining parts (31-36) the walls (25, 26) are joinedtogether two by two.
 10. Loading unit according to claim 9, wherein eachintegral joining part is a shaped section (27, 28) permanently fixed atthe edge of a wall (25, 26).
 11. Loading unit according to claim 9 or10, wherein the joining parts have hook elements (32, 35), which hookelements (32, 35) can be slid into one another in the direction of theedges of the walls (25, 26).
 12. Loading unit according to claim 11,wherein each shaped section (27, 28) has an undercut cavity (33, 36)into which a hook component (32, 35) of an adjacent shaped section (27,28) can be slid.
 13. Loading unit according to claim 12, wherein oneshaped section (27) of each two shaped sections (27, 28) joined to oneanother is constructed with an undercut cavity (33) at the end of theassociated wall (25) and the other shaped section (28) with an undercutcavity (36) at the face of the other associated wall (26), which facefaces the end of the first wall (25).
 14. Loading unit according to oneof the preceding claims, wherein the walls are subdivided in the heightdirection into wall sections (4, 5) located above one another and everytwo of said wall sections located above one another can be linked by anH-shaped section (6).
 15. Loading unit according to claim 14, whereinboth the adjacent lower wall sections (4) and upper wall sections (5)are joined two by two in each case.
 16. Loading unit according to one ofthe preceding claims, wherein the loading base (1) has supports (12) onits underside, between which supports the forks of a fork lift truck canbe accommodated.
 17. Loading unit according to one of the precedingclaims, wherein the internal dimensions of the loading base (1) betweenthe upright walls are 1.00×1.20 m.
 18. Loading unit according to claim17, wherein the external dimensions of the loading base are 1.02×1.22 m.19. Loading unit according to claim 17 or 16, wherein the total heightincluding supports (12) is 1.50 m.
 20. Loading unit according to claim17 or 18, wherein the total height including supports (12) is 0.75 m.